Category: Theater

Queen of Blood, directed by Fangoria Editor-in-Chief Chris Alexander is the follow up to his horrifically beautiful 2012 film Blood for Irina. Chris Alexander will be in attendance for a very special Q&A. So make sure to pick up tickets now before they sell out!

During the Second Dark Age in the City of Lost Angels, Mother Speed and the Sisters of the Holy Order of Roller Blades live in a dystopian wasteland where Saticoy and his metalhead henchmen, the Droog, terrorize the streets! Saticoy, a fetish mask-wearing jerk wants the Sisters’ crystal, the source of all their power. He sends the Bimbo With No Name to infiltrate the Sisters and steal the crystal! What will the naked nuns do?

Lost yet? Yea, verily! Don’t worry, you’ll love this insane VHS classic so much for its copious amounts of nudity, post-apocalyptic punks, and inventive special effects, you’ll be bladin’ all the way home! SKATE OR DIE! (Katrina Basilio)

Tickets only $1! Hosted by Matt Desiderio (Horror Boobs) and Mike Hunchback (Seminal Psychosis). Bring your tapes! We’ll be set up for a tape trade, with rare VHS tapes also available for sale.

Our pal and colleague, Mr. Matthew Klein, is not just an asset to the Forbidden Planet NYC sales floor. He’s also a very talented playwright and producer. This is no hyperbole. I’ve attended a number of his one-acts and they never disappoint.

His first full-length production will be premiering here in New York City next week and I encourage you all to take in a night of THEA-tah. Here’s some deets from the man himself:

Buy tickets here before they’re gone! Be sure to check out behind the scenes footage with our director, Jaki Bradley (see video below), as well as rehearsal footage with our insanely talented cast and crew. I can’t wait to share this with you! Come be part of something inspiring, explosive, and FUN.

POST CONCUSSIVE SYNDROME
February 11th – 16th
TICKETS $18
available now at pcsplay.com

POST CONCUSSIVE SYNDROME is a visceral romantic-comedy that finds Todd, Gus and Laura picking up the pieces of their complicated love triangle in a dramatic, sometimes violent, fashion. With the full spectrum of absurdity and emotion on display, all three battle with what they want– and what they’re afraid to admit they really need. Written by Matthew Klein (The New Group) and directed by the uber talented Jaki Bradley (Women’s Project, Goodspeed Theatre, Signature Theatre, NY Fringe), and featuring the talented cast of Josh Evans, Jacob Horstmeier, and Lauren McCune. Six Part is breaking new ground in order to continue telling inventive, compelling, and intelligent original stories.

If I had to make a list of the most recognizable figures in the entire world I think that Batman would be in the top 10. Maybe even the top 5. That brooding big eared bad boy probably lies somewhere on the list below Jesus Christ, but above Norman Reedus. So… chances are, someone on your Christmas shopping list is a Bat-Fan! Now I know I just said Batman is one of the most well known figures, yes… but… that doesn’t mean I expect you to know what to get the Boy Wonder of your Dynamic Duo for this holiday season. Those are references to Batman, stick with me kid and you’ll be dancing with the devil by the pale moonlight in no time!

Batman The Killing Joke – The super duper deluxe re-colored hardcover edition of the definitive Joker story written by that Watchmen guy. Quote me on that when handing this bad boy over to your gift recipient and they will be wowed by your knowledge!

Batman is Brave! – It’s never too early to get the tykes into vigilante crime fighting. This is one of those old school kids books with the thick cardboard pages, the kind that sops up baby drool real good!

Batman and Joker Salt and Pepper Shakers – Just a dash of the right spices from out of one of these magnetic shakers will add a little BIFF BANG and POW to your super supper. Just don’t ask me how the magnets work.

Batman 1966 1/4 scale Figure – Fans of the classic Batman television series will just love to get their grip on all 18 inches of Adam West in those iconic grey tights!

Batman The Court of Owls TPB – The first collection of the newest ongoing Batman run now available in a sleek affordable softcover edition. Issues one through seven of Scott Snyder’s take on the cape for only 16.99. Now that’s a lot of Bats on the cheap!

Big Batman Logo Button – Lets take a ride down memory lane… It’s the summer of 89 and the Tim Burton Batman movie is the biggest thing to happen to pop culture since the Moonwalk. No not that fake moon landing stuff, I mean Jack-o dancing back-o… wards? Anyway… what I’m trying to say is, Batman was huge and you know what else was huge in the 80’s – buttons. I blame it on Bobby McFerrin’s Be Happy BS and those smiley faces, but I digress. So we see the flick and as my family exits the theater I remember people selling all types of bootleg bat-stuff including these gigantic Batman logo buttons! I’m talking real big, like hubcap big, but maybe my memory has been fogged by years of fogging my brain, maybe they were just kinda big like this one and they just seemed big cause I was small… needless to say my parents didn’t buy me one of those buttons and I now have to write x-mas shopping list guides as a way to work out my mommy issues.

Heroclix Batman Booster Pack – In a world where underground crime rings and table top gaming collide! Heroclix is one of the most accessible and down right fun collectible games on the market, so grab up some of these booster packs and get a game going! Don’t worry, house rules are acceptable.

Batman Animated Series Logo Shirt – Batman the Animated series was another huge factor in securing Batman’s image firmly in the consciousness of the modern world. If you know someone who was coming to age in the mid 90’s chances are this “cartoon” was their daily dose of the Dark Knight. This grey shirt with that iconic angular logo will be a fitting gift for that special Bat-Maniac in your life.

Well there you have it Bat Boys and Bat Girls, just a few of the many Bat related goodies we have in stock and ready to be gifted by you! I’m pretty proud of myself, a full holiday shopping guide and only one Insane Clown Posse reference. Bloop!

We’re pleased as punch to announce that on Wednesday, November 20th, Vivek J. Tiwary will be signing copies of his new graphic novel- the highly anticipated The Fifth Beatle – right here at Forbidden Planet NYC!

The book, published by Dark Horse and releasing 11/19, has got a TON of buzz about it, with a feature filmin the works. Vivek is an award-winning producer, writer, and financier for film, television, theater and music and The Fifth Beatle is his first major comic work as writer/creator… And he’s a swell fella. Heck, he even mentioned FP in his bio…

“Vivek’s earliest childhood memories include browsing the comic book racks at Forbidden Planet with his parents and listening to their Beatles’ records at home.”

NYC area pals, we hope to see you here Wednesday the 20th when the festivities kick off at 6pm. Can’t make it to our event? You can pre-order signed copies by mail! Standard editions (only $19.99 retail!) can be purchased here and collectors editions can be purchased here.

Through the most unholy of unions Horror Boobs and Wild Eye Releasing have joined their evil Funky forces to bestow upon you, the unsuspecting viewer, a film filled to the max with Satanic Swingers and Disco Death!

Ultimate sex machine Rex Romanski has loved and left the wrong babe, but with a track record like his he was bound to bag a Black Magic babe who’s obsessed and possessed! Can Rex figure out a way shake this chick before it puts a damper on his next target, the porn star Amoreena Jones? This is seriously one of the best new throwback flicks I have laid my filthy little eyes on, 100% Horror Boobs approved with the humor and hooters flowing faster than you can say Clu Gulager!
Horror Boobs are a NYC based group of perverts that not only revel in the bargain bin boobs of the Video Boom but have also been known to expose their Spectacle spectators to newer independent films that may have been under the radar and hopefully go under the bra!

I love Chris Ware. Bit redundant to say so this holiday season with everyone and their sister buying Building Stories, but with so much comic awesomeness that happened in 2012; between Charles Burn’s second installment to his X’ed Out trilogy, The Hive, and Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga…SAGA… It’s too easy for amazing comics to get lost in the stacks, so I’m here to give my somewhere around the number 10 best comics of 2012 that nobody told you about…

LOSE #4

Michael DeForge might be the most prolific cartoonist working right now. He pumps more work and at a higher quality that would make any other cartoonist want to quit, or work harder…..no quit thats the correct response. On top of Lose #4 this year you can also see his work in the pages of Adventure Time comics, where he does the backgrounds,variant covers, anthology stories in Nobrow 7 (more on that in a bit) and the newest KUS, not to mention his on going serial Ant Comics, oh and his porn comic that he designs that features work by Johnny Negron, Brandon Graham, and Jillian Tamaki….more on all of them latter too…Bottom line, DeForge has a hand in everything and you’re probably a fan of his already, so read Lose, or Ant comics, or KUS, or Nobrow, or one of the million other things he worked on this year. King of comics 2012 goes to DeForge, no contest.

The Underwater Welder

Did I mention that DeForge is Canadian? Canadians….must be a universal sigh when cartoonist’s who aren’t Canadian talk about them. Jeff Lemire is another cartoonist hailing from The Great White North. Lemire had a full year of releases with Sweet Tooth Volume 4 and 5, the reprinting of his Xeric grant book Lost Dogs and Underwater Welder. Underwater Welder is for lovers of well paced, clear story telling, and theTwilight Zone. Lemire has an economy to his comics, the art is quick yet purposeful in the same manner as the writing, which rewards the reader with a world that they can envelope themselves in. Lemire is an odd school of cartooning, he’s not so deep into independent styled comics as DeForge, but he isn’t mainstream either (though he does write the only two books at DC still worth readingAnimal Man, & Frankenstein Agent of Shade). He’s a cartoonist in love with genre but doesn’t mistake comics to be only that.

Nipper Volume 3

Nipper Volume 3 finally came out! WOOOOOOO! I might be the only American to love Nipper so go buy it and prove my gross presumption wrong. Keeping in theme with brilliant Canadian cartoonists, Nipper volume 3 is the Canadian version of Family Circus, if Family Circus was anything like a real family and not so adorable that even your grandmother finds it lame. Always silent, black and white line work with one beautiful saturation of red dropped into each panel, Doug Wright creates multi-layered story telling, in the most simple yet still incredible complicated drawing. Just go look already, and then come meet me for coffee to talk about it, I’ll be here till next year trying to describe why it’s so effffffing smart.

Diary Comics 4

Dustin Harbin is yet another broken hearted cartoonist, upset that his nationality isn’t Canadian. Diary Comics 4 starts with Dustin talking about how amazing it is to be in attendance at the Doug Wright rewards (the Canadian version of the Eisners), and how he wishes we as American could take comics as seriously as they do. Why can’t we folks? Dustin’s beautifully minimalist drawings deceive readers with their simplicity, when they are really just the right amount of information needed, each mark done with purpose in mind and simply decroative. Go read em’ they’re good. And if your not a fan of memoir, you just like the punching and kicking comics, he did letter Casanovasooo…..I don’t know Matt Fraction wrote Iron Man for like a century right? See the full picture of creators not just the characters you like….

Pope Hat #3

Pope Hat #3 by Ethan Rilly. Rilly is surprise surprise, another Canadian. Pope Hats is technically 3 issues deep but you really only need/want two and three. In Pope Hats Rilly tells the story of Franny, a young law clerk at a massive law firm, picture Wall Street with less Charlie Sheen….okay no Charlie Sheen, just that one part where he gets punched in the face by Michael Douglas… Rilly drawings show traces of his influences but they don’t unhinge the story. You can see traces of Doug Wright’s drapery in the clothing, and bits of Shultz popping up in the rendering of grass and clouds. It’s like a love letter to days past when cartooning was a profession and getting a weekly strip in a newspaper was the dream. Pope Hats narrative shares a similar tone of nostalgia with its drawing, that bitter sweet pain, from an old wound.

Come one, come all! At Forbidden Planet NYC on November 21st, illustrator and escape artist Sean Von Gorman will lock himself inside a man-sized steel cage until we sell every copy of his new release from Alterna Comics, The Secret Adventures of Houdini: Book One! Yes, that would be the very same Sean Von Gorman who handcuffed himself to a traffic light outside FPNYC last February, enduring wind, rain, and police inquiries in order to sell his comics. Now that’s dedication.

In the same spirit, he’ll be making his triumphant return to FPNYC for the Secret Adventures of Houdini Release Spectacular on the day before Thanksgiving. There will be special guests! There will be live video of this notorious spectacle on our YouTube feed! There will be a grown man proudly locked inside a cage for public viewing–and how often does one get to Instagram a photo of that in a context that’s actually safe for work? Drop by FPNYC on Nov. 21st and pick up a copy of The Secret Adventures of Houdini to help relieve his burden. If you can’t make it to the store that day, fret not: online sales also count.

Today in the New York Times Arts and Leisure section you will find a little article about the VHS Series at the Museum of Arts and Design. I know you all already know about it, but that’s because you are hip and you follow the Daily Planet… or maybe because I won’t shut up about it. Hey you would be running your mouth too if a government funded museum asked you to help curate an exhibition celebrating one of your favorite things in the entire world! Thank you Bloomie, The Gates and Waterfalls were weak in my opinion but you’ve redeemed your self with this one.

VHS overload!!!

Think about all the people across the country that the NYT will inform, bringing the masses up to speed with all you cool cats. Now lets get real, its one thing to be in the know, but knowing amounts to nothing more than a pile of beans unless you actually come out and experience it. And what better way to experience the true essence of VHS than with a screening of Tales From The Quadead Zone, one of the oddest films of the video era.

This Friday July 6th at the MAD Museum, I (Matt D) will host an epic event of analog proportions. Not only will your eyes be assaulted by the oddity that is Qudead, but be prepared to experience a reel of VHS trailers that could only come from the bowels of forgotten film history. Included will be Shot on Video trashterpieces, films that have never made the jump to DVD, and more weirdness than may be humanly possible to take, so make sure you mark your calendar because this must see to be believed cinematic experience will be a once in a life time event.

The direct-to-video market not only created more opportunities for creating and distributing breakthrough cinematic works, it also fostered the creation of a new chapter in “trashterpieces,” a genre of camp cinema that celebrates spectacular failures in traditional filmmaking techniques. Affordable home video equipment and an ever-expanding home viewing market paved the way for a slew of aspiring filmmakers. This created a “backyard Hollywood” movement in which many striving artists and opportunistic businessmen could capture and release their visions on video.

A horror anthology in three parts (thereby nullifying the theory that the “Qua” stands for four), Tales From the Quadead Zone is held together by a framing segment in which actress Shirley Jones reads stories to the ghost of her child from a book entitled Tales From the Quadead Zone. Failing on nearly every traditional level, Tales From the Quadead Zone is often described as a car crash of a film. However, the film’s earnest ambitions, and resulting great failure, make it a true camp classic made possible by the VHS camcorder.

Special introduction and VHS trailer reel by Matthew Desiderio Producer of the upcoming Documentary Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector

Believe it or not all my rambling about VHS has paid off! The Museum of Art and Design, Jake Yuzna, Rebecca Cleman and I (Matthew Desiderio) have put together the mother of all VHS tributes with screenings, workshops, and a real functioning video store on site.

Come see VHS get its due respect at the MAD Museum in NYC! The Museum of Art and Design has allowed the likes of VHShitfest, Horror Boobs, Lunchmeat Vhs Fanzine and more to present films of the VHS era that are dear to their hearts. Experience rare SOV classics like Hellroller and Tales From The Quadead Zone on the big screen, come to a live work out session dictated by the weirdest fitness videos in existence, or come and rent a copy of Jerry Macguire from the pop-up rental store. VHS makes anything possible and this is proof so don’t miss this chance to be a part of VHiStory!

In celebration of the influential medium known as VHS, the Museum of Arts and Design presents a three-month survey of the short-lived video revolution. VHS screenings include a wide array of VHS offerings, including rare genre films, bootleg rock concert videos, independent works by the likes of Todd Haynes, Troma Video, and Nam June Paik, live workout classes by Richard Simmons and Susan Powter, and lost public access gems. In honor of its VHS series, MAD has also recreated a video rental store within its walls. In its exploration of the mutliple facets of the format, VHS demonstrates the impact of this technology on the history of cinema.

What beter way to kick it all of this Friday June 9th at 7PM than with a screening of the H.G. Lewis classic Something Weird screened from a special composite tape containing Something Weird Video trailers, a Joe Bob Briggs intro and outro from The Sleaziest Movies in the History of the World tape, and more! And who better to present it than my good buddy, Horror Culture Enthusiasts and lover of Something Weird: Mike Hunchback.

Directed by cult icon Herschell Gordon Lewis, Something Weird brings together a uncanny plot including LSD, psychic phenomena, a grotesque witch who can morph into a beautiful young woman, a kung fu socialite, ghosts, federal agents, psychopaths, and much more. A standout work from the midcentury exploitation and underground film movement, Something Weird was nearly lost until the distribution company Something Weird Video was founded in 1990, taking both its name and its logo from the film.

Something Weird Video released numerous Gordon Lewis films, as well as many other exploitation films, European genre films, and forgotten classics. Taking advantage of the video market formed by VHS, Something Weird Video and other likeminded distributors originated a curatorial approach that championed cinematic works through VHS release and video store selections. By doing so, these companies gave new life to cinematic oddities that pushed boundaries in both their subject matter and their approach to narrative filmmaking.

Donald & May are a working class couple in Los Angeles. When May decides she want to try up their social status by getting gourmet in the kitchen, she purchases a humongous new microwave. Donald, content with bologna and not impressed by his wife’s poor attempts as haute cuisine, spends a lot of time complaining to his co-workers. One night in a drunken rage, he kills May. He stashes parts of her in the fridge and some in the microwave. A few days later, while looking for a midnight snack, Donald accidentally eats some of May’s hand. From there it’s a downward spiral of hooker murder and serving human flesh to his friends and co-workers. How long can Donald keep this up? Can his heart, and more importantly his stomach, take it?

Horror Boobs brings you the best in breasts from genre cinema. Less information is available at horrorboobs.com

Investigating a horrible murder, Sgt. Joe Blocker and his partner Sgt. Sweeney Birdwell notice a curious similarity to case from their past. When more details surface – wearing Egyptian paraphernalia to hide the identity, taking only a single body part from victims while leaving a note in hieroglyphics, he becomes even more despondent over what’s happening. As the deaths continue and with Chief ‘Buzz Saw’ Ryan, screaming at them for results to end the rampage, they play a hunch on who the killer is and are surprised to find that it reveals the killer’s ploy, using the body parts in an ancient ritual to bring to life an Egyptian War Goddess. Can they stop him in time?

A send up of buddy-cop pictures and a pre-cursor to the slew of horror parodies of the late 90’s/early 00’s BPIP is a raunchy, bloody, mess that you can’t take your eyes off of.

Horror Boobs brings you the best in breasts from genre cinema. More information at: horrorboobs.com

The year is 1968 and a virus has all but wiped out the Earth’s population. Every day Robert Morgan (Vincent Price!) drudges on – gathering weapons, keeping these undead, bloodsucking monsters from his doorstep. Having lost his wife and daughter to the plague, Morgan is alone and immune to the disease. While out on his daily rounds, he comes in contact with a mysterious and sickly woman named Ruth (Franca Bettoia). Ruth is infected but, along with a group of others like her, in in treatment. As time runs out, will Morgan be able to find a cure for this terrible plague? Can the group of survivors be trusted or will the plague take them over as well?

Based on THE OMEGA MAN by Richard Matheson, this bleak vision of future’s past is considered by many to be some of Vincent Price’s finest work. Also, the film was cited by George Romero as the basis for his film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Initially the film was not well received but has since become a classic of the genre and has been re-made numerous times. Matheson was not a fan of the adaptation while Price regarded it as one of his favorite roles.

Brother From Another Planet
dir. John Sayles
104 mins, USA, 1984

A three-toed alien slave (Joe Morton) on the run from “another planet” crashes in Harlem and tries to blend in while fleeing the Men In Black (David Strathairn & John Sayles) who are also aliens attempting to bring him back to their own world. While unable to communicate through speech, The Brother has telekinetic powers and moves around the city just trying to feel at home.

Sayles directed, edited, wrote, composed, and co-stars in this comedy drama. Featuring a snapshot of NY past, the film stands up remarkably well. Morton would go on to a slew of TV and film roles. Also, look for an appearance from Fisher Stevens on the subway!

Nathaniel Wingate (co-writer/producer Harry S. Robbins), professor at the Miskatonic University, has finally opened the door to another dimension. Unfortunately, it happens to be the same night as his 50th birthday celebration. In the craziness of preparation and guests arriving two horseshoe crab-like creatures make their way through the portal – one good and one evil. These shape-shifting creatures take the forms of a buxom blonde model (from a poster in Sam Wingate’s room) and a distant relative – Count Desmond of Liechtenstein. Hilarity and calamity ensue as the Wingate family deals with these uninvited guests.

From director Mike B. Anderson (Alone in the T-Shirt Zone, The Simpsons) comes this rare Lovecraftian comedy that lives somewhere in between BEETLEJUICE, Cronenberg’s THE FLY, TERORVISION, and MEET THE HOLLOWHEADS. Plenty of laffs, practical effects (model work, makeup, stop motion, and more), and fantastic character actors in this RARELY screened lost gem. Shot on 35mm but relegated the VHS market after being poorly marketed. Spectacle is proud to include this film as part of our first sci-fi marathon.

It’s 1984 and Reagan’s War on Drugs has reached it’s frenzied height. Inside a secret lab, scientist and government officials meet to discuss a new, highly potent strain of mold – called Stachybotrys Morte – that is to be deployed on the coca plants of Columbia. When the situation in the lab becomes compromised and sabotage is the only possible explanation, can this team find a way out before they’re infected with this powerful strain?

Meschino’s debut feature (filmed in Long Island) deftly toes the line between sci-fi nightmare and parody. While some reviews paint images of early Henelotter (and that’s not entirely unfoudned) MOLD! sits firmly in the realm of melt-movies like STREET TRASH and SLIME CITY. Meschino makes great use of limited space and budget by pulling great performances out of a cast of unknowns and some pretty effective special effects. With a host of references – everything from ROBIN HOOD to BACK TO THE FUTURE, MOLD! knows it’s audience and plays it up proper.

Featuring an intro and Q&A from director Neil Meschino.

Bad Taste
dir. Peter Jackson
91 mins, New Zealand, 1987

When aliens invade a small New Zealand village and begin to harvest humans for their fast-food chain, a team of paramilitary troops go up against the the seemingly insatiable appetites of these intergalactic chow-hounds.

One of the first films from Peter Jackson, made on the weekends over the course of four years and starring Jackson and his friends in multiple roles. Made on a shoestring budget totaling $25,000. All of the makeup effects were made at home by Jackson in his parents oven.

The Wizard of Speed and Time
dir. Mike Jittlov
95 mins, USA, 1989
Presented courtesy of the filmmaker.

A special effects wizard (Mike Jittlov) is trying hard to make his dream of working on a feature film come true. Sadly, he finds himself facing not only a mountain a monetary challenges but also the threat of being ground up in the gears of the Hollywood system. With the help of his friends, and a little movie magic, can Mike makes his dream come true or will the heinous executives betting on his failure real the reward?

Based on the 16mm short from ten years earlier, TWOSAT is an updated version of Mike Jittlov’s manic vision. All at once a love letter to the magic of cinema and an icy glare at the evils of the inner workings of Hollywood. A showcase of every type of special effect, with exceptional long-form stop motion sequences, Jittlov makes use of the budget and time in ways that seems almost unimaginable. One of our favorite films, it is truly an honor to be able to present this phenomenal work.

Class of Nuke’Em High, the timeless classic of readin’, writin’ and radiation, is available for the first time ever in this unrated Director’s Cut. When first released in theaters in 1986, Class of Nuke’Em High became an instant sensation. Its unique blend of horror and humor was cheered by audiences and celebrated by critics. The film spawned two sequels and legions of fans. At Tromaville High School, located a stone’s throw from the local Nuclear Power Plant, the students are getting brighter. In fact, they’re beginning to develop a Troma-green glow. Innocent students mutate into sex-crazed psychos, the Honor Society’s turned into carnivorous, kinky cretins, and the slimy monster stalking the hallways isn’t the principal! The Director’s Cut of Class of Nuke ‘Em High has been lovingly restored by co-director Lloyd Kaufman (who developed the film during detention) and the Troma Team.

Presented by the fine folks at Troma, this event mark the first in a series of collaborations between Troma and Spectacle. Starting in April, Spectacle will play host to a monthly midnight featuring lesser known and rare films not available on DVD. Stay tuned for more details!